His Wife (A Contract Marriage Story) by Heer Mangtani

Chapter 73

GABRIEL

Several. Months. Ago.

I froze when I read the caller ID displayed on my ringing phone Lily Grant.

Her ID had been Lily with a st*pid emoji that she’d set all those years aback until six months ago, when I shifted it back to her full name the day I had broken up with her, the day I had told her I was marrying a girl my grandparents chose for me, the day she asked me to choose between her and my work and I chose my work, the day she cried in my arms and I told her maybe if she could wait for me for a few months, I would return to her. Just maybe,

me.

She hadn’t answered, just walked out on n

She never called after that.

I had forgotten that the six month contract marriage I had signed myself into was ending when Sophia’s grandfather passed away, and she was so consumed in her grief, and me, in her. She didn’t give me too much of her, but whatever she gave, I obsessively accepted, whether it was the ghost of a smile on her perfect lips, or her longing gaze in her very broken eyes. I held her, because I knew that her longing was for me, her smiles were for me, and anything in between, anything that Sophia gave me, was only for me.

Sophia was my kryptonite. She entered my life unwanted, and unknowingly crept closer until I gave her space. I was bewitched by her. Her mind, her body, her soul.

I was never a jealous man, but for her… Oh, for her, I would kill.

When she was with me, when I was with her, the rest of the world didn’t exist. And seeing Lily’s name on my phone was this reality check that the six months I had signed myself to Sophia for were ending, and there was a world outside that, a world that I fully intended on ignoring.

Lost in my very thoughts, I didn’t realise when the phone stopped ringing, and then rang again. I picked it up at lightning’s speed catching Sophia’s eyes on it from the other side of the bed and a pang of guilt hit me as I pressed the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Gabriel.” The voice on the other end wasn’t Lily’s at all. It was my grandfather’s. He had left just the day before because if 1 was here, someone had to be at the office to head meetings. There was only so much time that we could both take off together, so despite his best friend’s body barely being cold in his grave, he returned to the city, leaving me here for a few more days with Sophia. Before I could reply at all, he said, “It’s Alister. Can you hear me?”

My eyebrows knit in confusion. “Hm?”

“Good. Is Sophia with you?”

“Yes.” I half look back at the girl covering herself more in the blanket, her face suddenly void of any colour.

“Okay. I know I asked you to stay with your wife for a few days longer, but I need you to come here.”

I reply, my voice

“It’s an emergency. I

thought I was leaving Sophia alone. Why was he

you to come here. One thing about Alister Whitlock is that he never shows affection. Another thing is that he demands, and the world just follows any way. I learnt it from him. So for him

Jim’s death had affected him more than

to ask about Lily, but I didn’t want to take her name in front of Sophia. My wife was grieving, she broke down so often, she barely slept or ate, and she’d been through so much. And through it all, her constant worry had been that I would leave her and go back to

about anything to Leila or Sophia,

“Okay,” Lagreed.

“You’re understanding, right, son

just as annoyed as I

Sophia, who looked like she would cry any moment, her voice so meek when she

just work, Freckles Work emergency. Same one that Alister left with.”

you have to

her scent before I kissed her forehead. I wanted to do anything but leave her like this, and I hated that I had to go “I will double the security, make sure

hand once again before pulling it away and the ghost of her touch stings, because all I wanted to do

home after driving three hours from Sophia’s hometown to the city. I went straight to work, heading to my

few years ago, but now I

looked like he had been expecting me. “You came fast. Good. He nonchalantly got up from his humongous chair, one that was a tacky shiny black, and straightened

at seventy, was nothing if not put together till his last grey hair strand, a quality he

my teeth when I ask, “What emergency was

the past week, the paranoia of my age catching up to me has bee playing on my mind obsessively. Losing your best friend to cancer does that to you” He pauses, clears his throat, and E wonder where is this going 1 There are certain changes I have noticed in me in the past few

My eyebrows knit. “Lake?”

much. Just little blood

have all day, really. I planned on getting back to Sophia and although I told her I would see her at home tomorrow, I wanted to go

You know stools

“You

But, my overthinking got me to get tested and turns

blink. My mouth opens and

a decent time, and I don’t

I begin, pause.

on first name basis most days, and that’s just fine. I don’t need you to call

My lack of

even to me.